Should Fred’s supporters abandon him tomorrow for … Huckabee?

T-minus 24 hours and counting until, in all likelihood, his political career’s over. I can’t resist one last poke at the Fredhead beehive for old time’s sake.

The argument comes from Patrick Ruffini: Since Huckabee probably doesn’t have the money or organization to run the table on Super Ultra Mega Tuesday but McCain does, shouldn’t South Carolina’s Romney, Giuliani, and Thompson supporters defect tomorrow and vote for Huck to blunt Mac’s momentum heading into Florida? That’s an easy yes in the first two cases but in Fred’s case it would mean the end. Has the time come to take Ol’ Yeller out back? Ruffini says … yes:

If you’re a Romney or a Rudy guy, this is a relative no-brainer. This will be tougher for FredHeads, since their guy has made a stand in the state. But with less than 24 hours to go, and Fred running no better than a weak third, it is probably time to face facts. It’s too bad, because conservatives deserve Fred Thompson as a choice, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening.

John Tabin at Reason likewise fears the Reaper:

Alas, Thompson has hardly taken the race by storm. Glenn Reynolds wrote last month that he might have joined Volokh et al. in endorsing Thompson if he hadn’t observed how poorly Thompson’s campaign is run behind the scenes. That poorly run campaign has yielded poor results. Thompson’s low-key affect and introverted personality made him ill-suited to the hands-on retail politicking that Iowans expect, and he edged out John McCain for third place in the Iowa caucuses by just three tenths of a percentage point despite spending much more time than McCain stumping in the Hawkeye State (McCain focused on New Hampshire, where he won). He made almost no effort in the New Hampshire and Michigan primaries, where he got less than 2 percent and less than 4 percent of the vote, respectively…

Perhaps something will change the dynamics of the race in the remaining hours before South Carolina Republicans go to the polls tomorrow, and Thompson will catch a break. But at the moment, his prospects don’t appear to give fans of smaller government any reason to abandon the pessimism that has by now become all too familiar.

Re: how poorly run Fred’s campaign is/was, be sure to see this Mark Steyn item at the Corner if you missed it last night. Has the time come, ‘Heads? If the polls hold and Fred finishes fourth with less than half of McCain’s vote, Romney’s going to be your guy anyway come Sunday morning. Why not vote strategically tomorrow?

I offer you this to remember the man by. Meanwhile, here’s the state of conservatism in 2008: A RINO touting the kind words of another RINO in, of all places, South Carolina. Between them they’ve got 50% of the vote. Good lord.

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